2005 Toyota Prius Review

Viva
Las Prius

In
short: A small hybrid
5-door hatchback.

Driving
a Toyota Prius is like stepping into a brand new world where
certain things feel familiar, but everything else seems to
be done just a little differently. It’s like visiting Tokyo or staying in a Las
Vegas hotel for the first time. The old rule book just
doesn’t apply any more.

This becomes readily apparent the second one sits in the Prius, Toyota's
groundbreaking hybrid-electric vehicle. There is no key to
turn in the ignition. There is no console- or steering column-mounted
shifter. There are practically no dashboard buttons. There
is no instrument panel with dials behind the steering wheel.
Welcome to Prius world.

And
what better place to experience an entirely different breed
of car than in an entirely different breed of city? That’s
right, Las
Vegas, baby. We set out for Sin City on a mission to find
out how useful the Prius and its hybrid-electric powertrain
are on a road trip. Most importantly, we had to find out just
how close to the insanely high and unrealistic EPA gas mileage
numbers (60 mpg city, 51 highway) we could get.

At
the heart of those impressive gas mileage numbers, and of
the Prius itself, is its innovative engine. Known as a full
hybrid, the Prius combines a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine
with a regenerating battery-powered electric motor that, when
put together, send a maximum of 110 horsepower to the wheels
through a continuously variable automatic transmission. It
all works in beautiful concert without any input from the
driver, as the car decides how much juice is needed at any
given time.

The
most common question we received in our week with the Prius
was, “do you need to plug it in?” No, you don’t.
Rather the battery is recharged with energy generated by the
brakes or by the alternator while coasting. Fuel is also saved
when the Prius is stopped and the gas engine shuts off, which
is a somewhat odd feeling.

Because
of the reliance on battery regeneration, however, our trip
from Los
Angeles to Las
Vegas uncovered the one flaw in the hybrid set-up. Since
most of the roughly 375-mile drive is on the highway and uphill,
the Prius didn’t get much opportunity to coast or brake.
Subsequently, for most of the trip through the Mojave at around
80 mph, the battery was close to drained and most of the power
was coming from the anemic and rather noisy four-cylinder.
That’s not very good for the Prius’ otherwise
excellent fuel economy and it’s even worse when trying
to pass the dreaded road-clogging minivan. Overall, we averaged
41 mpg both there and back, which is a far cry from the EPA
numbers but still exceptional.

Dynamically,
the Prius is nothing special. Its electronic steering feels
artificial, and although it’s nicely weighted, it gives
about as much feedback as a pit boss being asked the best
way to win at blackjack.
It nonetheless has a very comfortable ride and winds noise
is reduced to a whisper even at high speeds.

Inside,
the Prius is a model for squeezing the most passenger room
out of a smallish midsize frame, since three full-sized adults
fit comfortably. The liftback trunk with 60/40 rear seat swallowed
a lot of stuff with room to spare. Rear seat leg room was
impressive, but front seat leg room for the driver was simply
unacceptable for taller folks — our 6’3”
driver’s right leg began cramping up in Los
Angeles traffic. We’ve found this to be a common
problem with smaller Toyotas.

Like the rest of the car, the dashboard layout is different,
but it works very well once you get used to it. Redundant
buttons on the steering wheel control the most frequently
used radio and A/C features, while everything else —
including our test car’s excellent navigation system
— is controlled with the touchscreen LCD monitor that
unfortunately tends to disappear in direct sunlight.

Once
in Vegas,
the Prius quite understandably stayed in the Harrah's
parking garage, save for a quick jaunt to Star
Trek: The Experience at the Las
Vegas Hilton. While the Prius might not be as futuristic
as the starship Enterprise, it comes pretty darn close in
terms of letting the driver explore strange new worlds of
automotive engineering. The Prius proved on our road trip
to Las
Vegas and back that there is such a thing as a comfortable,
quiet, useful vehicle that also sips fuel at a rate that would
make a tip-hungry cocktail waitress nervous. The Prius does
everything just a little differently, but like that first
stay in Vegas,
different can be a very good thing, indeed.